Watch Paparazzi

Entrepreneur Ralph Lauren spotted wearing Panerai

Ralph Lauren has long occupied a singular position in the world of vintage Panerai collecting. Long before the brand's commercial relaunch in 1993 brought Luminors and Radiomirs to boutique shelves worldwide, Lauren was quietly amassing some of the rarest pre-series references in existence. The Radiomir Egiziano 8 Days is the crown jewel of that collection — and of virtually any collection.

The watch visible here displays all the hallmarks of the genuine article: an oversized cushion case measuring approximately 60mm in steel, fitted with the characteristic porthole-style bezel secured by visible screws — a functional design feature derived from submarine instrumentation. The tropical brown dial carries applied Arabic numerals at 12, 3, 6, and 9 with baton indices at the quarters, a small seconds subdial at 9 o'clock, and the critical inscription 'RADIOMIR / 8 GIORNI / BREVETTATO' confirming the eight-day power reserve. The tan distressed leather strap completes an appropriately archival presentation.

The movement inside is an Angelus calibre — specifically the cal. 240 or a closely related derivative — a Swiss ebauche manufacturer celebrated for its long-duration movements. Angelus supplied Panerai with this mechanism specifically to meet the Egyptian Navy's operational requirement for a watch that could sustain timekeeping through extended diving missions without winding. The result was a movement with roughly 192 hours of autonomy, extraordinary for any wristwatch of its era.

Collector significance is difficult to overstate. The Egiziano exists in single-digit confirmed quantities. It was never sold commercially; units were delivered directly to military clients in the early 1950s. When one appeared at antiquorum in 2006, it set a Panerai auction record at the time. Lauren's example is believed to be one of the finest surviving specimens, regularly cited in reference literature on vintage Panerai.

No retail or grey market pricing applies in any conventional sense — the Egiziano trades entirely through private treaty and major auction houses. Estimates at auction, were one to appear today, would begin north of $500,000 USD and could substantially exceed that figure depending on provenance and condition. For Lauren, this is not a trophy piece but a working garment — worn, as he wears everything, with effortless conviction.